Finally going with Powerline networking - Need some quick help

[Agentbolt]

Hopefully these questions are pretty simple, I feel like I'm missing something pretty basic here but Googling isn't answering these questions for me:

My house is currently set up so my internet connection (16 Mbps DSL) has one working phone jack which is in a room on the opposite side of the house from my PS4, HTPC, Xbox, and pretty much everything else. Right now I have an Actiontec Q1000 DSL Modem/Router combo that everything in the other room connects to wirelessly (kinda-sorta) but obviously it's not ideal. My PS4's download speeds usually top out at about 700 Kbps, and my computer does a bit better (7-8 Mbps) but nothing great.

So since moving the modem isn't an option (due to the one good phone jack) and moving my entire entertainment center isn't an option, I've decided to go with power line connectivity. So I'm purchasing these two items:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and will set it up thusly:

Phone jack ---> Router/Modem ---> Powerline Adapter 1 plugged into Ethernet Port 1 on Router.

(connects through power line magic to)

Powerline Adapter 2 plugged in in living room ---> Switch ----> PS4, HTPC, XBOX, etc....

Simple, right? Okay, so here's my two questions:

#1. How will IP addresses work with this? The switch isn't going to assign the PS4, HTPC, Xbox, and Blu-Ray player all a separate IP, right? Does the switch just bypass all of that, so that the one "real" ethernet connection in the back of my router will show 4 connected devices in the LAN Device list in my router based on MAC addresses? Or will the other 3 devices all have to be powered off every time one is powered on or I'll have two or more devices with the same IP address on the network? Or some third thing?

#2. Is there a way to have the HTPC use the LAN connection for the internet, but still stay connected to the WiFi network? We have a second laptop that connects to the wifi network in our bedroom (that I didn't feel like buying a third power line adapter for) that's connected to a 2nd TV, and we use it to stream movies off the HTPC sometimes via a shared folder on the HTPC, so is there any way to keep the HTPC connected to the home WIFI network for sharing stuff but still connect to the internet through the more stable/faster "wired" power line connection?

Again, hopefully these aren't super complicated questions, I Googled the crap out of them before bothering ya'll though. Thanks!

 

[Rio Rebel]

1. Assuming you have DHCP enabled (which probably is, by default), the router will assign individual IP addresses for each device, including those connecting through the switch and the powerline. Each device in the home network (LAN) will have its own IP address. For the internet connection, the router has a separate WAN IP to connect externally. That is the point of a router - it can operate on two networks at the same time and connect the two - the WAN, and the internal home LAN.
2. No, but it's not necessary. The wireless connection is part of the same network as the powerline. You don't need the HTPC to connect wirelesssly - it is already connecting to the same network through the switch and powerline. Your second laptop will connect to the Actiontec Q1000 and be assigned an IP address on the same network as the other devices.

 

[PliotronX]

Think of the powerline voodoo as ethernet. Your router and switch are doing all the work networking wise

 

[Agentbolt]

Huh, okay, so really then, the two power line adapters will just act as one really long ethernet cable? I guess that makes sense now that I think about it.

And then the DHCP will see 4 different MAC addresses plugged into one ethernet port and it will "know" to assign each of them an IP address? I guess for some reason I had been worried the router would think "1 port = 1 IP address" but now that I type that, that would kind of defeat the purpose of switches altogether. Routers are awesome!

 

[azazel1024]

Yes, they'll act like one long ethernet cable. They are bridge devices, which is in effect what that does.

No, the router knows NOTHING except what the end point devices tell it for getting an IP address. The switch and router however will know the MAC addresses of each port connected to it and build a tree of all connected devices MAC addresses. The router will have an ARP table to know which port and which MAC to route a packet to based on the IP address and/or MAC address received.

The bridge will have a MAC address but no IP address. It doesn't need or want one (unless there is a remote management interface, in which case it MIGHT have its own IP address, but only for address the power line adapter itself).